The Daily 3: 3 fascinating studies presented at Scientific Sessions

If you haven't attended the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions...it's hard to describe the experience. It's like Comic-Con, but for people with an interest in the latest, most innovative, cardiovascular research.

The five day event features more than 5,000 presentations and involves more than 18,000 people from 105 countries. To say that it's "kind of a big deal" is kind of a big understatement.

This year's event, which just wrapped up yesterday in Dallas, featured studies and breakthroughs that created headlines worldwide. We picked three of them to highlight this morning:

One group blindly consumed decaf while another drank caffeinated coffee, with the later group showing the improved vessel function.

Previous studies on coffee have indicated that it has heart-healthy benefits.

Social networks linked to more effective weight loss - People in social networks who received an intervention to tackle their weight problems together lost significantly more weight and waistline inches compared with those who received standard individual care. In addition, the social network intervention also improved blood pressure readings.

All of these benefits lasted beyond the 10 month program, up to even 6 months after.

The indication is that harnessing the power of positive peer pressure and accountability is effective in achieving healthy lifestyle changes.

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